“That’s your advice?” He points at the windows that overlook Fifth Avenue. “Millions of women live in this city. How am I going to find her?”
I narrow my blue eyes and study him. “I don’t have a clue.”
“You need to do better than that.” His expression turns smug, which only makes him that much sexier. “You need to get on that computer and find out who she is.”
“It’s not my job to track down your one-night stand, sir.”
He rests both of his palms on the counter and leans closer to me. “I’m going to take this above your head.”
“You’re more than welcome to do that.” I smile sweetly. “I should warn you that our entire management team are committed to our customers and the security of their personal information.”
“Your customer stole an autographed Trey Hale jersey from me last night.” He scoops the panties back into his hand and shoves them into the front pocket of his black pants. “In case you don’t know who that is, Trey Hale is a professional baseball player. He’s the best pitcher in the league. He won the World Series last year.”
I know exactly who Trey Hale is, but I won’t tell
this arrogant jerk that.
“Your superiors will be hearing about this, Ms. Hull,” he calls over his shoulder as he starts toward the exit. “That jersey was meant to be a gift for my nephew’s tenth birthday and your refusal to cooperate with me is the reason he’ll be disappointed.”
I sigh. Why the hell did the beautiful bastard have to tell me that?
“How is it our fault that his random one-night stand lifted that jersey?” Liza asks as she sprays disinfectant on the top of the counter. “He shouldn’t take strangers home with him.”
I don’t weigh in on that since I’ve been guilty of inviting a one-night stand back to my place. Luckily for me, that guy didn’t help himself to anything but a bowl of cereal the next morning.
“Did he mention his name to you at all?” I question her as I watch her swirl the disinfectant in a circle with a paper towel, her red hair bouncing around her shoulders. “Did he tell it to you before I came over?”
She looks at me. “No. I would have remembered if he did.”
I could forget he ever walked in here, and I would if it weren’t for the mention of his nephew. I can replace that jersey within the hour. All I need to do is give my cousin, Trey, a call and I’ll have an autographed jersey, baseball and two tickets to a game in my hand in the time it takes me to get to his apartment.
“I should have asked for his name,” I say, picking up a stack of gift cards to place on a display near the entrance.
“That slice of heaven was Alexander Donato.” A woman approaches the checkout counter with several pieces of lingerie in her hands. “I know exactly where you can find him, or at least a picture of him. His handsome face is on a billboard in the middle of Times Square.”
Chapter 2
Olivia
“I can run down to Times Square and find the billboard,” Liza says, as soon as the customer is headed toward the boutique’s doors with her purchases neatly folded in tissue paper inside two peach colored Liore bags. “He must be famous. Why else would he be on a billboard?”
I’m surprised she kept it together as long as she did. After the customer mentioned Alexander Donato’s name and the billboard in Times Square, Liza wanted more details.
I changed the subject.
The woman had traveled to New York City from Texas for her birthday. The lingerie was a gift she was giving to herself. I wanted her visit to the boutique to be extra special, so I offered a birthday discount on her entire purchase.
I used my employee code and took over the checkout process myself.
My goal was for the woman to walk out with a memory of a shopping experience that far surpassed her expectations. When our boutique in Dallas opens next year, my hope is that she’ll become a regular customer who sings our praises to anyone who will listen.
I tug my phone out of the pocket of my dress. “Steph mentioned that a shipment of silk pajamas just arrived. They need to be unpacked and steamed. You can handle that, right?”
When I worked at this boutique as a sales associate, Steph did the same. She’s worked her way up to the manager’s position and she loves it. She’s doing a great job, considering Liza is a handful of misplaced energy.
“I want to know more about Alexander.” She bats her long eyelashes and flips her hair over her shoulder. “He’s insanely hot and I could feel something happening between us.”
I skim my fingers over my phone’s screen. I’m silent while I scan the results of a quick search of the jerk that Liza is swooning over.